Religion, smoking and drinking: Yup, looks like a roundup.
I know I haven’t shown College Ave much love this week. I’ve been in Atlanta, home of GTech, Georgia State, U Georgia, Spellman College … greek life mayhem … the list continues.
Starting next week I’ll have a roundup every Sunday, but here are a few items to get us back on track.
Academic Freedom? Anyone?: The University of Southern California recently removed text from Islamic scripture from its Muslim Student Association’s Web site. The school’s newspaper, the Daily Trojan, reported the text contained excerpts called hadiths, sayings from the Prophet Muhammad not included in the Quran. The school’s provost, C.L. Max Nikias, said the passage advocated violence against Jews, and the DT indicated it called on Muslims to “kill jews.”
The DT reported Nikias took down the site without consulting the group first.
Here’s where it gets good: Nikias learned about the passage when a Jewish human rights group approached him about the language. And David Horowitz, a conservative activist, (whose exact connection to this whole scenario besides being an activist is unclear) said this was his first “concrete victory” against student associations he said are tied to radical Islamist thought.
What action, if any, the MSA will take isn’t clear either. But this raises a few interesting questions.
- The USC religion index has around 75 religious student organizations, give or take a few. If the hadith had been a passage from the torah or the bible, would it have been removed immediately?
- The Provost was contacted by an outside, and influential, advocacy group. Are the students on campus actually bothered by this? Would his actions have been so quick if concerns were submitted by fellow students, and not a potential donor religious organization?
I don’t have the answers to any of those questions — but maybe by the week’s end the Provost, or the students, will.
Hookahs are the new Camels: Hey there, hookah friends. Looks like you may be in trouble. A study by the University of Pennsylvania showed about 40 percent of college students had smoked tobacco from a hookah.
More than 200 hookah cafes have opened in the U.S. during the past decade.
The interesting side note: One third of the students who smoked using water pipes hadn’t smoked a cigarette.
You can vote, go to war and get married. Now, you might be able to drink, too, thanks to the Amethyst Initiative . The initiative is a pact signed by the presidents of about 130 colleges and universities who are asking lawmakers to
“To support an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21 year-old drinking age.
To consider whether the 10% highway fund “incentive” encourages or inhibits that debate.
To invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol.
We pledge ourselves and our institutions to playing a vigorous, constructive role as these critical discussions unfold.”
The last time the U.S. drinking age got this much attention was 1984, when Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. It didn’t set the drinking age per se, but essentially imposed a penalty of “10% of a state’s federal highway appropriation on any state setting its drinking age lower than 21.” The presidents who have signed this initative believe the age has encouraged binge drinking, and hope to start a conversation about the issue — not necessarily change it.
The outcome of this initiative and legislation that follows could dramatically alter the experience of college students nationwide. Stay tuned throughout the year to see how this unfolds.
Thoughts on Loans and Financial Aid
Sorry for the long delay in posting, even though I know I’m not the only one reeling from all the work that has to be submitted before finals week (something to do with that Dec. 25 final grade submission… Thanks Registrar!) A little something meta on the blogs: We have a new comments policy that our commenters should all be aware of, so acquaint yourself with it. Now onto the important stuff:
A wolf in (Oregon) duck’s clothing: There’s this loan group from Florida that’s gotten into a lot of trouble from New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo. He’s investigated a bunch of other loan companies earlier this year for their dubious actions, which include cash for friend referrals and signups, but the most recent group, Student Financial Services, has been using team names, logos and mascots for their marketing to students.
Apparently not all universities keep the rights to their mascots, but have them through an intermediary group, so that’s how this loan company was able to use the marks (maybe that’s how Washburn University got an eerily similar logo to U. of Wisconsin?).? The Times reported that at least 17 have since suspended their arrangements with the group, and the Chronicle is reporting that the remainder, 63 in total, are also cutting their ties. Cuomo is also reportedly was working with the company to make an agreement so they don’t have to pay a penalty ? instead, they’ll have a code of conduct developed by the attorney general’s office.
Recapping other loan stuff: Munzer got to it earlier this week, but this Harvard financial aid thing is only the latest in universities taking financial aid into their own hands. In the middle of last month, the Chronicle (pay-walled) reported on three colleges in the Northeast that are doing away with loans for students. Williams College is getting rid of loans entirely from its financial aid packages, and Colby and Wesleyan are doing similar things to reduce their burdens.
The Harvard situation is merely an extension of their 2004 initiative to help those coming from lower economic backgrounds in staying in college. It’s a wonderful idea, and while I question the need for such deep discounts to the children of six-figure breadwinners, solving the cost problem is an issue the industry needs to answer ? and they’ve been terrible about doing so.
There are good reasons why college costs so much, especially here (something about the first major capital campaign in a 116-year history…). Some colleges, like Williams, are doing smart things. Even at Ithaca, students rise the the occasion, such as the HEOP program with Lobby Day [disclosure: I worked for Academic Enrichment Services last year]. When students get into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt when they graduate with degrees in English or Outdoor Adventure Leadership, it’s a pretty scary situation. Or, they don’t even make it past their first semester here. And when college seems to be the prerequisite and no longer an honor, it needs to become more affordable.
Something completely different: Can Antioch stop losing steam? There’s now a plan being set in motion to separate Antioch College from the associated university system to address the many issues that plague the institution. At first glance it sounds like a terrible idea, considering that the whole system started with the undergrad program. While I’m sure the Antioch College Continuation Corporation would have the college’s best interests at heart, especially with some very passionate people ? who wouldn’t give money when the agreement to save Antioch was penned last month ?? it moves the burden off the current administration of the Antioch in a dangerous way. Furthermore, it doesn’t help that as of Tuesday, the payment agreement made last month is no longer in effect [via Chronicle]. And what’s worse, if the transfer does happen, it’s most likely the school will have to get accreditation, since it won’t be the old Antioch.
Roundup: Ships jumped and otherwise
Well Munzer’s beaten me to one pretty big story, but I’ve got some more new and old news before Homecoming weekend starts:
Who’s kicking off next? It looks like the dean of the business school, Susan West Engelkemeyer, might be the one. We reported on her being the finalist for two deanship positions, one at Bentley in Mass. and another at Providence (R.I.). If she goes, she’ll be the fourth of the five school deans to leave. There’s not a whole lot to say about that now besides the obvious, but I should get to more of Ithaca’s woes as long as I’m not stepping on the The Ithacan’s toes.
He gets to stay: The Collegian is reporting today that David McSwane will get to stay as editor of the paper. He was held up by the consideration of First Amendment and it appears the staff is happy about his stay. I still think the editorial was inflammatory enough to get more than an “admonishment” ? hardly even the slap on the wrist, as The Collegian reported ? but oh well.
Peggy could have waited: The news appears to be a few days old, but the UCU officially announced they would not be boycotting Israeli institutions. Their reasoning is that they found out it would be illegal if they went through with it. If only Peggy didn’t say anything for a while, rather than a do-nothing notice. Good call; now if we can switch the academic debate to talking about the region.
The Dalai Lama is coming! I have a ticket to the Dalai Lama’s “Eight Verses on Training the Mind” talk Wednesday despite all odds (in fact, I somehow got them on my grandmother’s dial-up computer 15 minutes after they were “sold out,” but that’s a different story). Namgyal says we’re not allowed to have any tech there, but I’ll get a quick write-up done after the event. Definitely check out Thursday’s paper, though ? Assistant News Editor Tricia Nadonly has been doing a lot of work about His Holiness and the visit, and will cover all three events happening in Ithaca.
Have a good weekend.
Race protests in Ithaca and around the country
The Chronicle of Higher Ed is reporting that students at more than 100 colleges across the country staged walk outs and protests in support of the six black students charged with racial crimes in Jena, La. The case has been all over the news recently, but essentially, six black high school students have been charged with attempted murder for beating a white student after they were repeatedly harassed in December of 2006. On sept. 20, more than 10,000 people marched in protest of their imprisonment, but now the momentum has spread to campuses, apparently.
I say: Bravo, college students. Let’s kick start this whole protesting thing again and make the 60s protests of our dirty hippie parents look like a 3-year-old’s birthday party.
In more local news, Ithaca College students were doing some protesting of their own (with many others) on Monday. Their protest, however, was targeting the Ithaca City School District, which is being criticized for how it is handling a high school student’s case of racial discrimination. Watch the video accompanying my article, it’s a pretty harsh condemnation of the school district.
Ithaca High school student Thandi Farley speaks about racism in her school. here.
Ahmadinejad visits Columbia, debates in front of sold out crowd of people who hate him
Ahmadinejad live @ Columbia: Yesterday Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the sixth president of Iran and a man noted for his government’s frequent human rights abuses, visited Columbia University’s campus for a debate. Just outside, behind barricades, a huge crowd protested his visit on the grounds that leaders who execute minors and don’t think the Holocaust happened shouldn’t be allowed to speak. (Some people were also just putting up absurd posters.)
Watch President Lee Bollinger’s vicious introduction to Ahmadinejad’s speech here. Money quote: ?Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.?
Mahmoud’s response: ?In Iran, tradition requires when you invite a person to be a speaker, we actually respect our students enough to allow them to make their own judgment.” BAM!
In general, people were undecided on whether or not Bollinger’s introduction was too harsh for a terrorism-sponsoring dictator.
Here’s a reaction piece (via IvyGate) from a student at Columbia that pretty well lays bare the absurdity of the situation. A full transcript of the debate is available here at the Columbia Spectator’s Ahmadineblog.
Stoking the fires of free speech
Faithful reader Nic points to a recent column at the New York Times about the WHAM brouhaha at the University of Rhode Island. WHAM, the White Heterosexual Male Scholarship, was clearly designed to stir some controversy, just like it did at Roger Williams, right down to their “As a White Heterosexual American Male, what adversities have you had to deal with and overcome?” essay prompt.
The College Republicans got what the wanted, of course, with the Student Senate falling over itself to be outraged. Even after Robert Carothers, the university president, said, uh, guys, you can’t do that, they tried to sanction them. Cooler heads prevailed, and WHAM stays.
But FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, is at the center of this storm, something that seems to happen any time there’s a conservative publication under attack. (They do champion some liberal speech, too, but with less consistency.) I’ve followed their work for a while, and this week their champion cause is Tufts University’s conservative newspaper, The Primary Source. Back in December 2006, the paper ran an (unsigned) Christmas carol parody, like they do every year. This year’s: “O Come All Ye Black Folk.” Some of the more choice lines: “O Come All Ye Black Folk/Boisterous yet Desirable” and “All come! Blacks, we need you/Born into the ghetto/O Jesus! We need you now to fill our racial quotas.” Just a little light-hearted humor satirizing affirmative action policies, right?
Faster than you can say Don Imus, the paper apologizes (poorly) and retracts the carol. Now the firestorm is over a parody of the Muslim student organization’s ad ? during Islamic Awareness Week, no less ? highlighting Muslims’, ahem, contributions to militant terrorism. But instead of being just rightfully upset, the group took the conservative newspaper to court. Campus court, that is. The MSAT is claiming, along with another student citing the un-jolly carol, that The Primary Source creates a “hostile environment.”
In a meeting that took nearly 5 hours, both sides defended their position, with more people coming to rally for sanctions against the Source. While this isn’t grounds to call Tufts the boot camp for “totalitarian secret police to try to shutter the opposition newspapers,” nothing is gained by a Tufts student saying she didn’t like the discussion sparked by the carol about ? tadow! ? affirmative action.
Should we silence people? No, definitely not. Should we understand that with great power (the First Amendment) comes great responsibility (i.e. don’t be patently offensive under the guise of bad parody. See also: Don Imus)? Obviously. Should this be a great moment on campus to open talk about “inclusivity” and diversity and what free speech and really have a meeting of the minds? Guh. I think TPS is content to run its unsigned gutter humor in a lame attempt to be biting, and as student you can hold them accountable for their actions or promptly ignore them.
My critical race theory professor today put it best today: sometimes we’ve had enough Teaching Moments?.
Round-Up: You think you’re all big and bad?
Got told: The University of Wisconsin was quickly becoming the darling of the pro-piracy anti-RIAA crowd, since they were one of the few brave souls to ignore those pre-litigation letters. A U.S. district court judge decided earlier this week they must turn over the names. But because university refused to give the letters during the “pre-” part, any settlement made with the RIAA will not received the substantial discount (just the arm! you can keep the leg!) that those who got the letters on time had.
The eigth word? WQRI, the student radio station of Roger Williams University, fired two of their DJ for repeating the Offensive Phrase of 2007, “nappy-headed hos,” on the airwaves repeatedly. Dana Peloso and Jon Porter, the Imus’d DJs, are claiming their show was part of a political take-down in collaboration wit the administration. Peloso is the president of College Republicans on campus, who just happen to have Jason Mattera coming to speak. The CR at RWU have grabbed the media spotlight before with the “Whites Only” scholarship a few years back. The station’s manager, Mike Martelli, held a vote (at a staff meeting neither Peloso or Porter attended) and it was unanimously decided that the phrase would not be used multiple times on the air, thanks to the FCC license review WQRI is under. Martelli, apparently a former College Republican himself, wrote a response to the IHE story. (Scroll to the bottom. Uh, “free speach?” Dude: spellcheck.) It sounds more like a pissing match between DJs who think they’re above Martelli and a station manager who feels slighted than an actual attempt to silence speech. But I’m a little concerned that there was no dissent from the other student DJs about the phrase and this pervasive idea that radio has to be “a non-offensive product.” Just sayin’.
Where’s IvyGate when you need it? Director of the FBI Robert Mueller got heckled during his speech at Harvard last week, the Harvard Crimson dutifully reported. Also dutifully reported: two of their own editors were the hecklers. Michael A. Gould-Wartofsky and J. Claire Provost (those names exude Haaarvard) were chanting things like ?We will never forget the role of the FBI in McCarthyism!? and “Stop the unconstitutional repression of the environment!” (Most likely followed by snickering.) The term editor is misleading ? anyone from a writer to a photographer to graphics designer is an editor ? but it didn’t stop Romenesko and The New Editor working up a small lather over it.
Starting fresh: Here’s something you don’t see every 100 years: the newest university in the Georgia system started last year with 116 students and expects a whopping 3,000 to enroll this fall. Georgia Gwinnett College (”The campus of tomorrow” with a Web site from 15 years ago) expects to have 15,000 students by 2012, but for now they’re more concerned with making sure high school students in Gwinnet County even know they exist. Don’t worry, they’ve got plenty of hats, key chains and coffee mugs already made. But this is kind of a neat idea; the students get to make their own traditions, start their own student government, choose their own mascot. Hey, I hear one might be looking for a job.
Roundup: Get your Atkind gear while it’s hot!
PrincessGate will never get old: Thanks to the magic of Internet?, jokes can turn from a simple news article to a a blogpost (complete with anti-Semetic jokes/prison rape jokes abound) to an ironic T-shirt quicker than you can say “Duke Lacrosse Witch Hunt.” My personal favorites from the “store”: the terrorist pack of playing cards featuring cute puppies instead of dictators (oh no! not Precious!) and the Atkind/Cheney ‘08 ticket tossed in for good measure. I guess torture is torture is torture. [Thanks, Cornell Justice!]
Tough noogies: You go to a college that costs almost $40K, and you just got slapped by the RIAA. What are you going to do now? Complain to the dean, apparently, and Ithaca College’s Dean Dianne Lynch has little to no sympathy for you. She basically told them to cough up the $3,000 bucks to avoid facing litigation at the price of $750 per song and an less-than-clean criminal record. Sure it’s a publcity stunt ? I’d call it slow-motion mugging ? but she says the alternatives (like, gulp, trying to apply for a job with a record) are worse. Commenters are taking her to task, incorrectly, about the lack of protection other schools give their students. Maybe we should add a legal primer class to the majors?
Roundup: Meet the new boss
Score for press freedom: College Publisher, the way most people read most (but not, ahem, all) college newspapers, backed down on a little-known and never-enforced clause in their contract. In exchange for providing newspapers with the back-end management of their website, the students were barred from writing disparaging remarked about College Publisher and its owner (drumroll, please!), Viacom, the owner of pretty much any channel a college student would watch. Ka Leo, the student daily out of University of Hawaii at Manoa, refused to sign their CP contract based on those grounds, and College Publisher relented. Now if only college presidents would get off our backs. [Via The Wired Campus]
A man of his word: New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is filing a suit against Education Finance Partners, claiming those kickbacks he promised earlier are real. What I found most interesting was Texas Christian University using the old those-aren’t-kickbacks-those-are-like-scholarships-for-students routine. A likely story, you silly horned frogs.
PrincessGate update: America’s favorite dog torturer, Alex Atkind, will face felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals if Tompkins County DA Gwen Wilkinson gets her wish. His bond, set at a princely $20K, is bad enough, but being quoted as pleading to your mom “Get me out. Get me out. Today.” can’t help his case here. Especially not with the commenters on Elliott Back’s blog. Prison rape jokes? Sheesh.
Roundup: Where there’s smoke, there’s police
Butt out: The University of North Dakota Student Senate has signed on to the president’s plan to ban smoking ? indoors or out ? in the campus. Apparently the 30-foot ban in front of entrances wasn’t enough. The debate has been playing out in the student newspaper, The Dakota Student, since the president announced the idea aimed at helping people kick the habit and the benefit of second-hand sufferers. (For those interested, UND’s mascot, the Fighting Sioux, has been as problematic as Chief Illiniwek.)
Justin Long just got a raise: Wilkes is joining the Cult and making their campus Mac only. It’s not just to give the students a reason to be smug with their shiny iMacs and MacBook Pros; it’s a cost issue. PC stands for problems campus-wide, especially to download-happy college students, leave the network vulnerable and expensive to fix. Scott Byers, the now former vice president for finance and general counsel, says the $1.4 million investment is worth every penny if they can keep the system virus-free. Just wait until a disgruntled Dell user writes a worm for those Apples.
Wait, why am I here? With tuition skyrocketing (Ithaca College just announced one of the largest increases in 15 years), it may be time to put it all in perspective. Namely: why in God’s name would we spend this much money for an English degree? Or for that matter (erk) a journalism one? The most expensive sheepskin money can buy is a signaler, Christopher Caldwell offers in NYT Magazine. It not that you’re necessarily smarter for paying that much money but rather you have the potential to learn and shows that you at least want the returns a degree can get you. Backward as it seems, a liberal degree can be worth more in flexibility than actually feeling qualified for anything come graduation.
Feed for College Ave.
